AND OTHER SKETCHES 163 



THE LATE JOHN HENDRIE. 



Jolm Hendrie, always called Jack by Ms intimate 

 friends, was a man worth knowing. Over six feet in lis 

 stockings, broad shouldered, deep chested, slim waisted, 

 well hipped, with underpinning above criticism, a man 

 every inch of him and one well worth looking at. 



Talk about a fearless horseman, I never met one quite 

 his equal. Although a heavy man, weighing when in 

 prime condition close on fourteen stone, his seat in the 

 saddle was grace itself, and with hands light as a lady's 

 dainty fingers, but woe betide the horse that tried to take 

 liberties with him. I saw him once at his very best on 

 as ugly tempered a brute as ever wore shoes. He was a 

 big, raw-boned horse, standing I6I/2 hands, and had 

 proved himself unmanageable in the hands of half a 

 dozen who had owned him. He was bought for a song on 

 account of his bad temper and his new owner determined 

 to try him out. 



I was fortunate enough to be present when he tried him, 

 and I shall never forget it. It took a good deal of general- 

 ship to get into the saddle. Every trick known to the 

 worst mannered broncho seemed to be familiar to this 

 halfbred gelding, and short of lying down and rolling over 

 he practised them. Finally, the mounting was success- 

 fully accomplished and the horse was given his head. 

 His reply was to back up at his best speed, whirl sud- 

 denly around, then reverse himself; next, following this 

 up by rearing and throwing himself backwards. His 

 rider, cool as the historic cucumber, swung himself clear 

 of the saddle and made the fact known to his mount by a 

 few lively cuts that quickly brought him to his feet. Be- 

 fore the brute had time to practise any more trickery, 

 Hendrie was in the saddle, and with whip and spur 

 started him into a gallop. There was no let-up to the 



